Biology

Physiology

Nidoqueen is a large, tailed bipedal, blue Pokémon with both mammalian and reptilian features. She has a thick tail and mouse-like ears. Nidoqueen has spikes running down the length of her back and has a horn on her forehead. Her lower-jaw, chest-plates and lower torso are cream-colored.

Gender differences

Nidoqueen is the female of the species. For the male equivalent, see Nidoking.

Special abilities

Nidoqueen have long spikes that ooze poison on contact with foes. Nidoqueen can also cause small tremors by slamming the ground. Nidoqueen possesses some elemental versatility, being able to learn moves from several different types such as those that are Ice, Electric, and Fighting.

Behavior

Nidoqueen can be quite fierce and is very protective over her young. She will try to seal the entrance to her burrow to protect her young. Her hard, needle-like scales, which appear to grow in cycles, stand up when excited or provoked.

Minor appearances

Nidoqueen's first appearance was in Mewtwo Strikes Back. A Nidoqueen owned by Fergus was one of the Pokémon that were captured and cloned by Mewtwo. The Nidoqueen clone was seen again in Mewtwo Returns, along with what was apparently a Nidoqueen baby despite the fact that Nidoqueen cannot breed and its unevolved form is Nidoran♀.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Giovanni has a Nidoqueen as well, as seen in his Gym battle against Red, where it almost fainted Snor by throwing it through the wall, but was eventually beaten by Pika's Thunderbolt. It was later seen very briefly again in the Sevii Islands when he used it and his Nidoking to manhandle a biker whom Deoxys had ambushed. Red himself also caught a Nidoqueen in the Safari Zone.

In the Pokémon Zensho manga

While taking over the Silph Co., Giovanni used Nidoqueen to hold the Silph co. boss hostage.

Nidoqueen is the only Nidoran evolutionary family member whose Shiny color is not the same as her opposite-gender counterpart's normal color.

Nidoqueen and her male counterpart Nidoking share the same species name with Rhydon and Rhyperior. They are all known as Drill Pokémon. All four are also Ground types which may be because drills are used to bore into the ground in real life.

Aside from Nidoking, no other Pokémon has the same typecombination as Nidoqueen.

In National Pokédex order, Nidoqueen is the first Pokémon with a unique type combination.

Origin

She shares traits of rhinoceroses, gorillas, rabbits and porcupines. The coverings on her chest and her lower abdomen collectively resemble a two-piece bikini worn by human females.

Name origin

Nidoqueen may be a combination of needle and queen (reflective of its gender and being the final evolution). Nido may also be based on cnidocyte, a type of venomous cell responsible for the stings delivered by stinging animals, most notably by jellyfish. Alternatively, it may be based on 二 ni (two) or 二度 nido (two times/two degrees), referring to there being two distinct evolutionary lines using the name with similar names and traits.